Boat
by kbeto
Summary: "Boat [bəʊt] noun. A relatively small, usually open craft of a size that might be carried aboard a ship." Sequel to 'Castle'. Imagination can take you anywhere, and you shouldn't abide by anything that can chain your ideas; there's always someone who will appreciate them. Flones, fluff, kid!fic-ish, rated T for a single pun (the rest is pretty much a K). Table #3, entry #4.


_Disclaimer: I don't own anything Disney related, nor any fairytale or anything in Just My Luck._

_A/N: (Ultra mega super duper long note ahead!) I was going through some old ideas and drafts, and found this one from __**deeplyinloves**__, where she wanted something 'The Little Mermaid-esque' ever since I wrote 'Ocean'. Since I was having so many family feels after 'Talk Is Cheap' and __**Galaxy-Defending-Hopeful**__'s story, I decided to go with it. ;) This one goes for the two of them.  
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_**Marvin Fletcher**__ BWAhaha! No need to! You're very welcome here! :D I would never have guessed to what you were referring to! But I'm also one of the worst people to get references, so don't feel bad about it! :P_

_Nope, Danny doing the talk would never work. Tom would be the most suited, but he just wanted to save himself the embarrassment of talking about such a delicate subject to his kids. I believe Harry was indeed the best choice (let's not talk about Dougie. It would be as good of a idea as invading Russia in the winter)!_

_Pay no mind to those grammar nazi. I know that you're not going to use 'innit' when writing an essay or something important, but the beauty in languages resides in how they can always change and reshape themselves! That's what I think, at least. :P I only go grammar nazi when we're talking about __written__ stories, because I take this more seriously than it would be considered 'normal'. :P Haha! As for my Dan's voice, I believe it's mostly a mix of many things I read from the fandom golden age (around 2006-2008), my own personality (with the due translation) and a few expressions and slang commonly used in the UK. I usually do quite a bit of research to build a character or substantiate a plot, so thank you so much for noticing all the little things. *restrains self and avoid breaking into a song with 'little things'* I'm overjoyed that my efforts paid off! :D_

_You're literally the kind of reader every writer dream of, I just can't– *incoherent babbling* Thank you so much for all the kind words, and it's a pleasure truly a pleasure to write for this fandom. Even when I have my 'existential crisis'. ;D_

_**Anonymous**__ OMG you even have them already sorted! BWAhahaha! Now I'll be craving a Madagascar crossover, too! ;)_

_You did? Well, I can't deny I have a fondness for the embarrassingly funny stuff! It's almost guaranteed that I'll write the prompts with this same feel. BWAhaha! I think the twins are well informed like most kids of their generation. They're quite smart too, so I guess it's safe to say they have everything figured out. ;) And can you imagine how bad would it be to have Dougie giving anyone 'the talk'? Thank goodness Harry was there! :P Oh, about the book, the kids bought it themselves, but I can't say that wasn't Uncle Dougie's suggestion. Hehehe! Thank you! :D_

_Also thank you, **Guest**! I'm glad you're comfortable with some Flones craziness! ;)_

Boat

Danny had an incredible weekend alongside his family. Together with his ever so loving husband, Tom, and their two kids, Leah and Luke, they had spent the afternoon in the park, playing tag, having a picnic and teaching the twins how to ride a bike –birthday presents received the week before.

When the Fletcher-Jones family arrived home, Tom promptly shooed the kids to the bathroom to give them a good bath and rinse them from all the filth due to a day full of activities, taking special care of a few scratches and other minor bruises acquired in the process of balancing on a bike. _What about stabilisers?_ Well, Leah being the more adventurous of the two said she didn't need them, and Luke –who always looked up to his slightly older sister– just went along and said he didn't need them, as well.

"Those bike lessons will be the doom of my first-aid kit," Tom sighed, marching upstairs with a kid by each of his sides. Danny chuckled watching the scene and went to the kitchen to put what would be their dinner in the microwave, shaking his head in amusement as he left.

~#~

"_Dan? Can you come here for a sec?"_ There was an evident hint of urgency in Tom's voice, reason why Danny closed his laptop, and swung his legs over the side of their double bed and walked to the bedroom next door. He pushed the door with a star-shaped sign that read 'Leah & Luke' to a very uncommon scene.

"What's happening here?" Danny asked with an arched eyebrow, seeing Leah thrown across her other father's shoulder like a cement bag –hoisted by her wait and upside down– , and Luke sitting on the floor, hugging Tom's leg with all his four short limbs, like a tiny, giggling sloth.

"This," Tom tickled the little girl, "is a rumpus because my stories apparently aren't _as good_ as Papa's, and these tiny monsters refuse to go to bed without a _great_ story."

"Oh, boy..." Danny gave out a belly laugh, crouching to pick his son up in the same fashion Tom had their daughter, throwing the kid also over his shoulder. "If my fans want a story tha' bad, I guess I should grant them their wish."

Soon the whole family was cosily tucked in the large bed, with their backs to the headboard, the dads in the centre, with a child by either man's free side. Usually, Tom would just leave the amazing Papa Danny to entertain the kids by himself, but this time a very cheeky Danny ushered him to _"stay and learn from the best"_, to which Tom responded with a veiled glare that meant _"wait till we get in bed alone"_.

"What do we want today?" Danny asked Luke, who were by his side, stretching his neck to direct the question at Leah as well. The fathers had long learnt that the best way to keep jealousy and sibling rivalry at bay was to treat them in the very same manner.

"I want a boat story!" Luke bounced on the mattress. "With _pishing_!"

"_Fishing_ is not fun, Luke!" Leah corrected her brother, giving him the same exasperated look Tom gave Danny whenever his husband said something silly. "Can we have a castle story again? A big castle!"

Danny opened his mouth to say something, when Tom intervened and asked them about the solution he had. "What if we have a ship story? It's like a boat, only bigger. And it can be as huge as a castle." The kids gawked at the brilliance of their blond dad, as did Danny.

"Now that's settled, let's get to tha' story, shall we?" the appointed story teller for the night smiled, snaking an arm around his spouse's waist.

~#~

_In the deep deep deep deep deep deep– _"Dan..." Tom frowned. From the other side Danny could also see Leah doing the same, and he had to suppress a laugh at how similar the two were, even in their facial expressions. "Okay, we're not going _really_ deep out there." –_blue sea, lived a young merlad called Tomiel._

"Marmalade?" Luke asked, furrowing his brow. Tom automatically nudged Danny with his shoulder. They weren't even past the very beginning of the story and he knew it wasn't bound to end well. If they _ever_ reached the end of said story, since Danny seemed to be throwing random pieces, facts and words as he went.

"No, _merlad_, little moogle," Danny ruffled his son's hair. "Like a merman, but he's just a boy," he finished, going back to the narrative.

_Tomiel was the son of the ruler of the oceans, Queen Tritania, which made him one of the princes of the seas. He was an energetic and curious boy, with a tail like a fish, covered in beautiful green scales, and always wore his favourite waistcoat made of purple shells. Most mermen swam around without covering their chests, but not Tomiel, he preferred to look presentable and less exposed than that._

"He's a beautiful prince!"

"He is!" Danny agreed with Leah._ His long blond hair floated around like golden algae, and he had these beautiful brown eyes that sparkled in shallow water where the sunlight could reach, warm enough to melt any mountain of ice; he was the truly the most beautiful merlad to ever exist. _

Danny specifically looked at Tom during the last bit, making his husband blush at the obvious similarities and, therefore, compliments. One thing was for Tom to _know_ Danny included him and his mates in the stories he told their kids, hearing it face-to-face was a complete new level of swoon, and, if it were possible, made him love the curly-haired man even more.

_Tomiel was also highly intelligent and everybody in the kingdom liked him. Together with his best mate, Dougler –a small, round, cute yellow fish–, the two of them were constantly seeking a new adventure and exploring the bottom of the sea for artefacts that fell from the world above, hobby that got his mother and Habastian –his mother's counsellor– always worried._

"He should hear his mum," Luke pondered, holding his chin in deep thought.

"You're right, me boy," a freckled arm tickled the boy briefly. "Always listen to what your parents say."

"Can we go back to the story?" Tom cleared his throat, looking as eager as Leah to know the rest of the story.

_One day, Tomiel, Flounder and Habastian went to the surface to test the newest add to Tomiel's collection, a telescope he found one week before, Habastian only tagging along because he didn't succeeded at stopping the young prince from going._

"_Tomiel, the Queen will be –no pun intended– royally mad," Habastian tried once more to talk some sense into the merlad. The strong looking lobster acted like a father figure to the prince, always trying to keep him out of trouble._

"_Come on, Habastian! Aren't you excited to know what this can do?" Tomiel waved the strange object over his head, never slowing down his swimming. "It's just a little experiment, everything will be fine!"_

"_Plus, you'll be there to protect us with your strong pincers!" Dougler winked knowingly, making both blush. Tomiel shook his head, asking himself for how long his friends would deny that they loved each other._

_When they finally surfaced, Tomiel eyes sparkled in awe, and taking a look around he said–_ "I need to pee, Dad."

Danny shook his head. "No, that's not what he said!" He, Tom and Luke laughed at Leah's well-timed interruption. "I reckon nature's calling ya, eh?" He disentangled himself from Tom, letting his husband take the little girl to the bathroom.

~#~

"Where were we?"

"Tomiel wanted to test his telescoop!"

"_Telescope_, dear." Tom corrected his little boy, chuckling a bit and reaching a hand to pinch the kid's nose.

"Hmm, I remember now," Danny hugged Tom's waist with an arm once more.

"_Look, there's one of those human transportations," Tomiel said, pointing to a ship where a beautiful boy with dark, curly hair watched the ocean with sad eyes. "Maybe I can contact them with this," he put the smaller end of the telescope inside his mouth and started blowing it, but no sound came out._

"_I'm not hearing anything," Dougler pouted, leaping from the water to peek inside the instrument. "Oh my gill, I can see the inside of your mouth, Tomiel!"_

"_Rhelly?" the merlad mouthed around the object, taking it out and trying for himself and suddenly seeing the far away things way closer than they really were. "Dougler, you're a genius!"_

"_I'm more than just a pretty face and good colours, you know?" the yellow fish did a somersault, splashing water around._

_Aware of the usage of his new toy, Tomiel took a new look at the boy they saw. Seeing his face more closely, Tomiel could count the freckles and attest that his sad eyes were blue like the ocean they lived in, something inviting about those orbs that seemed to pull the sea prince forward._

"He looks like you, Papa," Luke giggled. "Papa's the most _beautifulest_ in the whole world!"

"What about me?"

"You too, Dad," the boy giggled again, tilting his back to catch a glimpse of Tom from the other side.

"I don't think you quite know how superlatives work, but that's something for later," Tom smiled and shook his head.

"Ahem!"_ After that Tomiel and friends returned to the bottom of the sea, where the Queen awaited them with a long, almost never-ending lecture. Despite the his mother's reaction, for some reason Tomiel couldn't get the brunet boy out of his mind, and later that day, when the night fell upon the submarine kingdom, he escaped to the surface again._

"_What's that?" Something big hit the water above, sinking with considerable speed. Terror filled Tomiel when he realised it was the same boy he saw before, and he swam to take the unconscious lad back to the world above water, dragging the handsome stranger to a nearby beach._

"_How was that thing I saw they doing to save their people–" Tomiel pressed his lips against the boy's, blowing air into his lungs and applying periodic pressure to force the water out. Even after all his efforts, the freckled boy was still out like a light. "What now– I know, I'll sing for you!"_

_And then Tomiel sang. His voice was incredibly good and by the time he finished the song, the stranger he had saved was stirring and coming back to conscience. Tomiel decided it was time to flee, and dove back into the water, watching from afar as the boy woke up –clearly confused– and went home._

"_I was saved by an angel. I was drunk and fell off my boat and got saved by a beautiful voice." the blue-eyed boy, Prince Dannic, told Bruce –his dog– with an enamoured sigh. "His voice was so heavenly, but when I woke up he wasn't there any more! What should I do Bruce?"_

_The dog tilted his back, letting a low whine out, changing his head back to initial position and barking loudly in sequence. It wasn't clear to anyone how they could communicate, but Dannic thanked his dog with a hug and went to order his servants to prepare a ball to find his 'guardian angel'._

"There's a ball now? I think you got the stories mixed up, Dan."

"Shh, that's why my stories make more success with the critics," Danny stuck his tongue at Tom, earning himself an undercover pinch on the bum.

_The news of a human ball close to the sea didn't take long to reach Tomiel's ears. After his mum found out about his little escapade, he was prohibited of ever leaving the city grounds without at least two guards accompanying him, which pretty much ended his opportunities of adventuring and exploring with Dougler._

_Plotting with the help of his bother Torista, who switched places with him due to their similar looks, Tomiel went for the forbidden area of the sea visit the Sea Wizard, the only one who could help him._

"_I want human legs," he said flatly to the plump, half octopus wizard of black hair with a single white lock._

"_You know that doesn't come for free, don't you?" the terrifying man grinned menacingly. Tomiel nodded and agreed with the conditions stipulated on a contract he later signed. Through magic, the wizard took Tomiel's voice from him and in exchange placed an ink seal in the form of a star on the boy's chest. "Be aware that if you don't get him to kiss you before midnight, you'll turn back and be my slave forever."_

"Wait, are you _sure_ you're not confusing the stories?"

"Tommy, trust me! I'm a professional!" Danny frowned. "My stories are an acquired taste." It was Tom's turn to roll his eyes.

"I want to know what happens, Papa! Please!" Leah batted her eyelashes. Danny gave Tom a pointed look that screamed 'I told you so'.

_~#~_

"_Hey, T-bag! How are things?"_

"My kids prefer Dan's stories and apparently I'm the only one bothered by the fact that he just goes sewing random facts together! He's like a Dr. Frankenstein of stories!"

Dougie laughed at Tom's exasperated tone. _"Come on, you know Dan has trouble remembering a lot of things, why do you think he would memorise an __**entire**__ story?"_

"Like when he forgets my birthday or even his own," Tom chuckled, realising that what Dougie said made some sense. Those were rare occasions, but they did happen from time to time.

"_Exactly! See what I mean?"_ Dougie laughed again. _"Now, if you excuse me, Harry must be finished with his yoga and I must make __**use**__ of all the flexibility that gives him."_

"Filled under 'information about my best mates that I really didn't want to know'," Tom snorted, saying goodnight to his perverted friend and clicking his phone off.

"We miss you, why don't you come back and finish the story with us?" Danny was suddenly pressed against Tom's back, pressing butterfly kisses on his husband's neck. Tom giggled, letting himself be pulled back from their room and into the kids' one.

~#~

_It turned out that the ball was some sort of talent show, where Prince Dannic expected the attendants to sing. Tomiel, who had arrived at the royal ship with the help of one of Dannic's maid – the woman confused the merlad with a survivor of a shipwreck – became extremely disheartened, because his voice was in the Sea Wizard's clutches and everyone in dry land assumed him to be mute._

"_The one I recognise possessing the most beautiful voice will be the one I'll marry," the prince announced, taking his spot on a place high above the deck._

_One by one, the lads present sang, none of them meeting Dannic's expectations. That was, until a sharp-looking bloke arrived, looking very confident in his vocal abilities. "I'm sure my voice will please you, my prince." The white haired boy started singing, and his voice, to Tomiel's surprise, sounded just like his._

"_It's you! It's you who I'm looking for!" Dannic clapped enthusiastically. He never saw the face of his saviour, but never in a million years would he forget that angelic sound. "You're going to be my prince."_

_Tomiel panicked. He wasn't only going to lose his freedom, but also the love of his life. What could he do, when he found himself unable of uttering a single word? His hopes started fading at increasing speed, when a salty breeze blew over the ship, making some shells used on the decoration whistle a bit._

"_**I have an idea!"**_ _Tomiel ran to the nearest shell he heard whistling and put it to his mouth, making it sound like an ocarina. He never felt more grateful for all the music lessons Habastian forced him to take. Bit by bit the everyone turned their attention to the soft melody coming from the improvised instrument._

"What's an ocarina, Dad? A flute?"

"You could say that, my love," Tom bopped Leah on the nose, proud of her quick thinking. He could see why Danny always said she was a 'mini-Tom', personality-wise speaking.

_Dannic and the white-haired boy called Vance were about to kiss, when Dannic backed off and searched for the source of such marvellous sound hitting his eardrums. It took him a moment to recognise the melody as the same one his mysterious saviour sang to him on that day, and he quickly descended the stairs and crossed the deck to where Tomiel played his shell._

"_You're the one who saved me?" They made eye contact when Tomiel ended his song and opened his eyes, putting the sea shell down. The merlad nodded, looking rather embarrassed. "But Vance's voice is the voice I heard, how can tha' be?"_

_In that moment Vance turned into the Sea Wizard with a howl, conjuring a horrible storm over the ship. The wizard also grew as big as the ship, and started wrecking it with his tentacles, tossing people into the sea. The bell tower let everyone know by its strokes that midnight already had fallen upon them, at the same time Tomiel's legs reverted to a fish tail, making him lose balance and fall._

"_You're a–" Dannic was cut mid-sentence, grabbing Tomiel in his arms and carrying him to the far side of the ship. The two almost got crushed under the mast, only escaping with the help of the prince's agility, though he sprained his ankle. "Go, we'll hold him back! Go back to your people!" _

_Tomiel wanted to ask "What about you?", but since his voice was still in the wizard's possession, all he could do was point to the sprained ankle and shake his head. Dannic grabbed the sea prince by the shoulders and ushered him to get out of the ship. He knew they couldn't probably do anything about a giant octopus wizard, however, he also knew they would gain nothing from standing still._

"_There's much I wanted to know, but you have to go!" He nodded, turning his back on Tomiel. "All soldiers prepare to engage the monster!"_

"_**I have to tell Mum!"** _

_Tomiel dove, ready to zoom through the water, when a big army of sea soldiers emerged showering the massive monster with sharp spears. The transformed man growled in pain at the attack of seagulls dropping many spiky bombs made of sea urchin shells in his eyes._

"_This is our chance, don't let him escape!" A powerful female voice filled the air. Queen Tritania herself appeared, ordering a new attack and pointing her trident at the enemy. Meanwhile, Dannic's men gathered gun powder and cannons to help the sea army in their assault._

"_I believe this is yours, my dear Tomiel," Habastian fell from one of the seagulls flying nearby, landing on Tomiel's head with a small pendant in hand._

_Dougler soon surfaced beside Tomiel, and they watched the Sea Wizard receive a volley of riffle fire, another lot of spears and a powerful lighting from Queen Tritania's trident. The battle was over. The merpeople and the people in the ship celebrated their victory over the evil wizard, who melted in a black mist, disappearing forever._

"_How did you know I would be here?" Tomiel asked, had regained his voice that was trapped inside the pendant given to him. "I never told anyone!"_

"_Do you think we would never realise you had left Torista in your place? My heart knows my friends better than that, Tomiel," Dougler splashed some water with his fin on his mate face._

"_And I haven't been taking care of you since we were kids for nothing," Habastian nodded, playfully hitting Tomiel in the head with one of his large pincers._

"_Thank you, guys!" The three friends shared an emotional group hug._

_Finally, after all the needed explanations and due punishment were applied –making a deal with a banished evil wizard wasn't something to be taken lightly–, Tomiel and Dannic got married in a boat in the middle of the ocean, with their respective families and friends as witnesses. Queen Tritania, that saw how the boys' love was true and pure, conceded Tomiel's deepest wish, giving her son human legs and letting him go live with his husband in the castle. And there they lived, forever ever after._

"How was tha'? I'm surprised you barely interrupted me and–" Tom silenced Danny with a finger, tilting his head towards his lap, where Leah's head rested, and back to Danny's other side, where Luke was drooling on his Papa's shirt. "I knew there was something off!" He chuckled along with Tom.

~#~

"Did you enjoy it?"

"Why are you asking me this, all of sudden?" Tom pulled his top on, ready to finally hit the mattress. The twins were long sleeping and both men needed to wake up early the next day.

"You seemed a bit disappointed they prefer my stories over the originals," Danny shrugged. "The last thing I want is to make you feel bad about anything."

"You're just a fool with a big heart! I loved your story, though I must say I was a bit confused with everything happening!" Tom let his body fall on the covers, patting the space beside him. Danny promptly complied, throwing himself at Tom's open arms, receiving many kisses atop his head. "Of course I don't mind, I'm just afraid they might grow up to be crazy and silly like their Papa."

"Oi! That's your _husband _you're talking about, you twat!" Danny adjusted his head, so he could look up and glare at Tom.

"I know," Tom nodded. "That's the very reason why I love him to bits," he dipped his head and kissed Danny's lips tenderly.

~Fin~


End file.
